Cuts councillors dishonoured

Bob Severn

Waltham Forest workers and campaigners will lobby the north east London borough's first 2012 council cabinet meeting on 12 January in support of sacked library and Waltham Forest Direct workers.

In response to one cabinet member, Liaquat Ali, being presented with an MBE for "tireless service to the people of Waltham Forest", campaigners will reward all the cabinet members CBEs - Cuts Brutally Executed awards.

The lobby, organised by Waltham Forest Anti-Cuts Union (WFACU), will be followed by protests at cabinet members' surgeries.

Waltham Forest Unison chair and libraries convenor Nancy Taaffe, who has a fighting record of trade union campaigning, is one of the sacked workers. It looks like the Labour council is attempting to get rid of Nancy to make it easier to drive though cuts.

WFACU calls for all of the sacked workers to be reinstated and for the council to set and fight for a 'needs budget', rather than spinelessly implementing Con-Dem cuts.

Nursery nurses protest

Waltham Forest Nursery Nurses protested outside the town hall on 10 January before the council's joint consultative committee meeting.

Over half of the nursery nurses working in schools are being forced to accept new part time, term time only contracts under threat of dismissal.

Waltham Forest Unison members are also being balloted over changes to terms and conditions, including cuts to overtime pay, travel allowances and emergency call out allowances.